Scruffy
by NiMHGuys
Summary: Special Agent Timothy McGee slowly develops a relationship with someone he meets online through his MMORPG. Intertwines with 'Stakeout' (5x12), 'Dog Tags' (5x13), and 'In the Zone' (5x15), pre-'Recoil' (5x16). Part 1 of "Scruffy" series. Tim M/Original Male Character.
1. Chapter 1

NCIS

Chapter 1

McGee checked his phone again, trying to find any excuse to not have to think of Tony whining in his earpiece right now. McGee had gone out to grab breakfast for their stakeout, which was going on its fourth day, and he was well past ready to kill Tony. Thumbing through his phone on the way back, he found the chat window and the message he sent while waiting in line.

 **Elflord:** _Hey_

The message still had not been read by the other user, "ScruffyLookin," but McGee wasn't surprised as the user still displayed as offline. Looking up from his phone, McGee saw the familiar red BMW parked in the middle of the street with the same man inside, waiting.

"Pusher's back," he said quietly so only Tony could hear him.

"I'm starvin' like Lee Marvin, McGee." Tony sprawled himself across two uncomfortable chairs trying to find a comfortable position. Unable to do so, he stood up and went to look out of the window of the dingy apartment they were stuck using for the stake out. "What's taking you so long?"

McGee watched as yet another junkie stumbled towards the car. "He's making another deal."

"We're here to find out who stole Navy radar and stashed it across the street." Tony looked through the binoculars down to the deal. "He's not our problem, unless he's pushing steak and cheese hoagies."

Rolling his eyes, McGee kept walking but returned his focus to the car. "I'm a sworn federal agent, Tony. I'm not gonna stand by and watch a felony go down."

"That's a good idea. Blow our stakeout over a $50 crack sale? If Gibbs doesn't slap you silly, I will." Tony refocused the binoculars on down McGee, and the bag containing the delicious goodness that would be his breakfast. For entertainment, he decided not to mention the person coming up behind McGee.

McGee refrained from saying ' _If it were up to me I'd have pummeled you by now,'_ but instead retorted with "Oh, you're gonna slap _me_?"

"If that's what you want, honey." The raspy voice of the local hooker, nicknamed 'Goldilocks' for her blond (and quite fake) hair, made McGee's blood curdle.

Tony chuckled to himself as he watched McGee scramble out of Goldilocks' reach and across the street.

McGee pulled out his phone while going up the stairs, relieved at seeing a message waiting.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Hey there. Jeez, you must really have nothing to do. Haven't heard from you this much outside of an all-night raid before :)_

McGee would've been more amused if Tony weren't still on his nerves. ScruffyLookin was a friend, as much as a friend through an online RPG could be. Between his work schedule and writing, McGee wasn't exactly a consistent player, but Scruffy was always up for chatting in and out of the game. He'd messaged him every day this week, which, even for McGee, was unusual.

 **Elflord:** _Work's been hell. Stuck on desk duty for 4 straight days, ready to strangle my coworker. At least I can type._

McGee only lied a little bit. They didn't know each other's real name or job, other than some general descriptions. Scruffy was in his late 20's worked full time but seemingly regular hours, loved computers, gaming, played guitar and was terrified by bees. McGee told him that he wrote, but didn't reveal that he wrote _"Deep Six."_ He told him he worked with computers, liked to cook, and drove a Porsche. Sometimes it was easier to spill your guts to someone knowing it wouldn't come back to bite you.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _He stuck you with breakfast duty again?_

 **Elflord:** _Yep._

McGee entered the apartment where various computers and monitoring equipment was keeping tabs on the storage lot across the street.

Tony gave a monitor a hard smack with his hand. He looked up proudly at McGee, "Hey. Monitor number two was flickering there - fixed it!"

McGee ignored him, dropped the bag of food on the table, and absentmindedly walked to the window while looking at his phone. Tony hungrily went for the bag, digging through to find his breakfast. McGee took the binoculars to get one more look at the BMW making the deals before returning to his phone.

"Come on!" Tony glared angrily at McGee, holding up his plastic container. "I said scrambled! Maybe you'd get an order right if you'd stop looking at your phone. Focus, McSony!"

McGee tuned out Tony's complaints and returned to his messages.

 **Elflord:** _Today might actually be the day I kill him._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Congrats! Where do I send the deathday cake?_

His smile was broken by Tony throwing his breakfast burrito at his head. McGee huffed, dropped the phone and lunged at him. It was on.

By sundown, Gibbs and Ziva finally arrived to relieve them. Tony and McGee had managed to make it look like they had NOT brawled in the apartment, but they each wasted no time getting the hell out of there.

NCIS

Finally sitting down after a long shower, Tim sat down in front of his computer, enjoying the sweet silence only broken by the gentle hum of his machine. He checked his emails, then went to his chat window to find a message waiting.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Been arrested for murder yet? Or did you let him live?_

 **Elflord:** _Nope, he lives to annoy me another day._

 **Elflord:** _Ugh, now I'm even talking like him._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _LOL_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Don't worry, I won't tell. Besides, it's not like my work day went much better. I spent most of my breaks looking for my new car._

 **Elflord:** _Tell me you STILL haven't decided._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _…_

Tim chuckled and shook his head. Scruffy almost as passionate about cars as Tony, but was somehow less obnoxious about them. Even in this current state of indecision, Scruffy still had Tony beat as far as tolerability. It wasn't about the sex appeal, it was the fun.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _It's hard to decide! I know I want the Mini Convertible, and I know I want it imported. But I don't want to be a model year behind just because I didn't want to wait a few weeks!_

 **Elflord:** _I told you, the '08 and the '09 are virtually identical. At this rate you'll be waiting forever! "Deep Six" will be a movie before you decide on a car._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Shut it, you. :P_

 **Elflord:** _Why do you want in imported anyway? It's just going to take longer and cost almost twice as much._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _It's the novelty. Plus it's nice to shake things up once in a while. Once I drove a car in England with the wheel on the right side, it was like a whole new experience._

 **Elflord:** _Tell you what, want me to help you decide? If I get this project done before the end of the week, you get the '08. If I don't, you go for the '09._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Hmmm… how good are you at this job?_

 **Elflord:** _Very, but at this point the odds are still 50/50._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Haha fine, deal!_

Tim smiled, got up and padded over to the kitchen for a glass of water. Even after another long day, Scruffy still managed to make him smile. There was something comfortable in their talks.

Sometimes Tim thought he detected a subtle flirty vibe, but he chalked it up to them both being single and just having fun. He knew Scruffy was gay, based on his gratuitous sensual description of one of the muscular male models in their RPG. Tim never really considered himself gay or bi, he just kinda was, well, Tim. He never really contemplated a those messages from Scruffy since it was all just online. Besides, messages over text were often misinterpreted, and Tim was famous for overthinking.

He walked back to his desk, looking at the next message waiting for him.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _So, other than work, how you?_

 **Elflord:** _Huh? You mean, there are things other than work?_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _LOL_

He tried to decide how seriously to ponder the question. The clock said 2000, he hadn't yet eaten anything he would consider "real" for a while, and he was in for another long day unless someone made a move for the stolen Navy radar soon.

 **Elflord:** _Tired. I haven't had much time to write lately, though I did think of several potential murder scenes today._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Productive :) Wanna blow off some steam?_

 **Elflord:** _Nah, not tonight._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Aww :( We haven't pillaged or raided anything in a while._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _..._

Tim looked at the screen as it would say Scruffy had typed, then stopped, then typed, then stopped. He wondered what he was trying to type. Finally a message came through:

 **ScruffyLookin:** _I've missed you._

Tim's heart skipped a beat looking at that message. At first he smiled. After a few days with just Tony for company, it was nice to be appreciated and to have good conversation. But then he was a little confused, wondering if that message wasn't a bad sign or if it's just Tony's twisted advice in his head. He tested the waters.

 **Elflord:** _I thought you were surprised to hear from me as often as you have these last few days._

"Ew, that didn't come out right," he said aloud to himself.

 **Elflord:** _I mean, I thought you would've been bored hearing from me by now._

 **Elflord:** _lol_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Naw, I don't mean "work" you, I meant ELFLORD, the fun you :)_

Satisfied, Tim paused for a moment, figuring out what he was doing for the night. Deciding to test a little further, he typed.

 **Elflord:** _Well, I need to make dinner, but if you're gonna be around, do you wanna stick around and maybe help me bounce around some writing ideas? I've kinda missed getting to actually talk with someone, too._

He bit his lip in anticipation, hoping he didn't push too far or sound like a moron.

 **ScruffyLookin:** Sounds good :)

Tim smiled, and went to prepare dinner. He spent the rest of the evening typing away on his typewriter, occasionally typing something to Scruffy, who always responded. As the clock hit 2330, he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. He turned to his computer.

 **Elflord:** _Dead tired… thanks for staying up. Good night :)_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Anytime :D g'night!_

Tim smiled, but once his computer turned off his smile faded. He felt alone, even though Scruffy wasn't actually there to begin with. He wondered what Scruffy would be like in person, which also led him to wondering Scruffy's real name. Based on references, he's pretty sure 'ScruffyLookin' referred to Scruffy-Looking Nerf Herder from Star Wars, but he had no idea what Scruffy's real name was. He could ask, but then he'd have to give him his. Tony would have a field day explaining what a bad idea that would be. He sighed and walked over to the bedroom, stripped down, and tucked himself under the cool sheets. His last thoughts of the night were about a friend he's never met.

NCIS

"Come on, come on!" McGee shouted into the steering wheel. He was stuck in a traffic jam on the Mason Bridge on his way into work. He thought he could see an accident up ahead, but was more concerned with getting away from the car behind him, which was way too close to his Porsche for comfort. _'At least Tony's not here to complain about it…'_ he thought to himself.

They had decided to commute separately in order to spend as little time together as possible. Tension at the stakeout was at an all-time high because of the lack of progress. The only release for him, Tony, and Ziva, was in a series of pranks, each superseding the last, yet not going so far as to involve Gibbs.

McGee opened up his phone and pulled up a chat window for Scruffy. Seeing that he was online, and making sure that traffic wasn't moving, he typed:

 **Elflord:** _Did I ever mention how much I hate DC traffic?_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Maybe once or twice lol_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Running late again?_

 **Elflord:** _Yup. And not looking forward to another desk day. I'd like to see some action._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Ugh. Well unfortunately I won't be as able to talk today as I was yesterday. Got some pretty involved work to do today._

McGee was a little disappointed, but of course Scruffy had to have a job and a life, too. McGee sometimes wondered what Scruffy did, and thought he had narrowed it down to some kind of either retail or cooking.

 **Elflord:** _Fun work or annoying work?_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _My work is always fun :) Just today it's a little more meticulous._

Traffic started to move.

 **Elflord:** _Gotta run. Good luck!_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _You too!_

After finally getting out of traffic and parking ways away from the stakeout, McGee broke into a full sprint trying to get there on time. He finally got to the apartment and saw Ziva and Gibbs ready to leave, with Tony looking out the window with the binoculars.

"Sorry, boss, there was an accident on the Mason Bridge," he said breathlessly to Gibbs.

"The e-mail?"

"Still working on it." He tried to remember all the details despite not yet having his morning coffee. "It's definitely a free account opened under a fictitious name."

"Knew that two days ago."

"Trying to track the e-mail's path, but there's several servers. Whoever tipped us off about the missing radar being in the storage locker is going to great lengths to remain anonymous."

"Pusher's back." Tony said, turning from the window. "So is the suit in the Beemer."

Tony's eyes had been lined with ink from the pads on the binoculars. _'Oh, Ziva…'_ McGee fought very hard to keep his smile hidden, and while Gibbs obviously had seen Tony, the look Gibbs gave McGee seemed content enough not to say anything. McGee switched back to the topic of the pusher, if only to contain himself.

"Guy's dealing drugs up the street."

"Yeah. Noticed." Gibbs was obviously tired.

"Same buyer was here yesterday, too. Love to bust 'em."

"Record it. Turn it over to Metro when we're done." Gibbs started walking out, Ziva followed a moment later. While passing McGee, she gave a mischievous smile, which McGee was finally able to return.

"Have a nice day, McGee," she said with a coy chuckle while stepping out the door.

"Alone at last." Tony still had not seen himself to know he had been marked, but McGee could tell he was already calculating what to do with the day. "You watch. I'll do this, you do that." He sat down at the computer, and turned on the webcam. Tony's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in anger. "You're a dead man McGee," he said to the image of a laughing McGee on the webcam.

"Don't look at me, it was Ziva." McGee had to tell Scruffy about this one. He took out his phone but wanted to get a shot of the drug deal going down first. The deal began turning into an altercation. McGee's flag went off. "Something's going on." He followed the two men in the deal with the camera's view as they went down an alley.

A moment later, someone shouted "Call 911!" and McGee saw Gibbs and Ziva running across to see what was going on.

' _Wasn't exactly the action I had in mind.'_ McGee thought.

NCIS

McGee was quite happy to close this case. No more staking out in apartments, no more chasing down junkies, and no more being cooped up with Tony. He was also quite happy to see Ziva's chair collapse underneath her in the final prank, but now he needed to make himself look busy to avoid her Mossad death-glare, so he quickly checked email then opened up the chat window.

 **Elflord:** _Project is done! Got another department involved and we finally got it wrapped up._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Aw, that's cheating! I figured something was up though, hadn't heard from you since yesterday. All-nighter?_

 **Elflord:** _Not quite but was too exhausted to even think when I got home last night._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _No worries. Well I guess this means I have to order the '08?_

 **Elflord:** _Haha, yup. Send me a picture after you order it. You wanna do a celebratory raid tonight after work? Seems like ages since I've had a free night and been awake enough to enjoy it._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Thought you'd never ask! See you later ;)_

McGee smiled, and immediately dove into his paperwork so he could go home.


	2. Chapter 2

NCIS

Chapter 2

"McGee." Gibbs called from his desk while looking down at his computer.

"I know, boss." McGee sighed frustratingly. Back on a drug trafficking case with no leads. Five suspects, none of them directly tied to the known drug dealer, only to their victim. McGee had just been attacked by a german shepherd at the victim's house, but even the twinge of pain from the bites wasn't what had him upset.

He was glad to be away from that dog, but he was especially glad to be away from Abby. He drove into the garage with hour-old bandages from Ducky's treatment, and all she cared about was the mutt who attacked him.

"Boss," Tony piped up. "We've already been through all this. I mean, I got no leads; Ziva's flirted with every seaman on the base; and McGee's watched a hundred hours of 'Petty Officer Junction.'"

"Hundred and fifty, actually," McGee chimed in, reminding himself of the additional headache he was in for.

"Go back to Pax River and talk to the other dog handlers," Gibbs ordered.

"See if one of them barks. I know…" Tony said, sparing no doubt in his tone, while he and Ziva grabbed their gear.

Gibbs walked over to McGee's desk, quietly saying, "Hey McGee?"

"Yeah?"

"You ok?" Gibbs had a way of asking if someone was ok, while somehow telling them that they'll be ok and making them believe it.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, boss." McGee lied. Physically, he knew he was ok, but his mind was reeling from his run-in with Abby.

He logged into his computer, and saw a message waiting in his chat window.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Hey there, been a few days. How are you?_

McGee was still upset. He wasn't sure how to explain what happened without going into more detail about his job, and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to, even to Scruffy. His neck and left arm ached where he had been bitten.

 **Elflord:** _Really not a good time. Bad day with work._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Aw, I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone. But if you need to talk, I'm here._

 **Elflord:** _Thanks._

McGee got to work re-watching old footage. After about an hour, he kept losing focus, thinking back to what happened with Abby. How could she just disregard him like that for a dog she saw for one minute? Was that really their relationship? He got up to get coffee, then coming back another thought crossed his mind. What if Abby was right, and he was wrong? What was he supposed to have done when 80 pounds of furry muscle and teeth came after him for blood?

He looked around, he was by himself in the bullpen. Tony had already tried convincing him he'll get rabies. Ziva was more interested in McGee's well-being, but he wasn't sure if he should go to her about problems with Abby. He looked back at the chat window on his computer. He needed to get this off his chest if he was going to be of any help.

 **Elflord:** _Hey. Still around?_

McGee waited for a response. Scruffy was pretty quick to respond, but it was the middle of the day. He just hoped he hadn't rubbed him the wrong way. About 10 minutes later, the window chimed.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Hey, yeah what's up? Sorry, was on a roll with something and didn't notice my phone going off._

 **Elflord:** _No worries. I want to ask you something but I don't know if it's a sensitive subject for you or not. You like dogs, right?_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Love them :D remember you asked me what I thought about you getting one?_

"Crap," McGee swore under his breath.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Why? Did you finally pick one? Pics!_

 **Elflord:** _I got attacked by a dog today._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _OMG are you ok?! WTF_

"Was that so hard?" McGee whispered to himself, thinking about Abby. To her credit, she did ask if he was ok before completely ditching him for the dog.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Did you go to the ER or a doctor at least? How bad is it?_

 **Elflord:** _No, we had an ME on site that fixed me up. Just a few bites, some stitches and bandages._

' _An ME? How will I explain that one?'_ he thought.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Are you in pain? Did you take any medication? What do you mean 'ME?'_

 **Elflord:** _I'm ok, don't worry, just a little pain here and there. ME is our medical examiner._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _What exactly is it that you do that gets you attacked by dogs yet having a medic on standby? Does this happen often?_

 **Elflord:** _It's kinda complicated…_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _I'm getting that._

McGee waited for a little while, not sure if he wanted to cross that line. He trusted Scruffy and Scruffy obviously cared, but some part of him was still a little scared to take that next step, so he went around it.

 **Elflord:** _Well anyway, my friend at my office thinks that I was wrong in defending myself. She's making the dog out to be the victim in all this even though I'm the one that got attacked. Literally, she just brushed me and the fact that I was attacked aside because the dog is more important._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Seriously? Wow. Was it at least her dog? I mean that I could kind of understand but still… How badly was the dog injured?_

 **Elflord:** _No. Never even knew the dog until today. Minor injuries, he's already back up._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _What? That doesn't make any sense. What happened that actually got you attacked?_

 **Elflord:** _I can't really say. But I'm pissed because my friend just immediately dropped me like chopped liver._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Wow. And she's your friend? Not just colleague but friend? Like legit friends?_

 **Elflord:** _Yeah. I mean, kinda ex too, but we've been friends since._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _WTF?_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _I'm sorry, I don't mean to speak wrongly of your friend but that is some serious bullshit. I get wanting to protect animals, but seriously, priorities! Has she always been like this?_

 **Elflord:** _No_

As McGee hit enter, he had to reconsider that. Abby always did seem to get her way, but her way usually seemed to be the right way anyway. He was rarely against Abby, but she was rarely against him too.

 **Elflord:** _It's not really come to this before. We've kinda always been in sync._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Are you taking some time off to recover? Some time and space would probably do you good._

 **Elflord:** _No, I really have to get this done. I have some space from them but we're still in the same building._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Damn, you're dedicated. You're probably one of those types that needs to be dragged out of work, aren't you? Lol_

Once again, Scruffy made McGee smile.

 **Elflord:** _Haha no, it's just really important._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Well I hope your boss and at least other coworkers appreciate you. You deserve it._

Tim blushed and tried to hide his smile from the compliment.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Seriously though, are you going to be ok?_

 **Elflord:** _I think so. Just a bit rattled. Need to figure out how to fix this._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Can I offer some advice?_

 **Elflord:** _Please_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _It sounds like you care about this girl enough that this argument is really bothering you. I'd give you both some time and space to cool down, but then I'd directly confront her. Peacefully, but directly. She wronged you, and she needs to prove she's your friend._

 **Elflord:** _I don't know._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Why?_

McGee wanted to take his advice, but this was Abby. Once her mind was made up, there was no changing it. What would that mean for their friendship?

 **Elflord:** _It's just complicated._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Is it? Or are you just worried she may not be able to prove it?_

McGee was taken aback. That crossed the line. He closed the window and returned to the surveillance video. It was nice to vent to Scruffy but he could not be more wrong about his relationship with Abby. He had no idea. How dare he make him doubt that Abby did care? He ground his teeth, staring at the screen looking for any lead on the case. He knew it was probably rude to just shut him off like that, but he wasn't in the mood to care. Scruffy was wrong.

He heard footsteps coming towards him, looked up, and saw a woman in uniform walking straight towards him. She was a little shorter than him, and had red hair braided neatly to keep out of her way. She wore some makeup, but not too much as to clash with her fatigues. Grateful for the distraction, he paused the video.

"Can I help you?"

"Petty Officer Erica Perelli, dog handler, Pax River." She responded in perfect soldier tone, like it was a reflex.

' _Oh great, another dog person that'll probably blame me.'_ McGee cleared his throat and stood up ready for another lecture.

Perelli narrowed her eyes at him and said, "You the one who shot Hanson's dog?"

"Uh…" McGee stammered. ' _Here it comes.'_

She moved his collar to see the bandaged bite wound on his neck. "Looks like he bit you pretty bad," she said moving down to examine his left hand and arm where he had been hurt.

McGee blushed a little bit under the unexpected contact of the Petty Officer's hands, and was relieved that she didn't seem to be the lecturing type. He figured at least part of today didn't have to be a total disaster. If Abby and Scruffy wouldn't be on his side, maybe Perelli would.

McGee tried putting on his 'just-doing-my-job' voice. "I've been bitten harder," he said confidently.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"By dogs - I love dogs." He was stammering, and could feel he was about to blow it.

Her eyes softened, and she smiled. "What kind of dog do you have?"

"Uh, I don't. Yet. But- but I might… will… soon, very soon" _'If they don't attack me.'_

She looked at him, seeing the obvious flush in his face and his lower lip quivering with nervousness, and she smiled.

"You'll soon get some work done, McGee?" Gibbs appeared out of nowhere, breezing over to his desk, coffee in-hand.

' _Never thought I'd be happy to have Gibbs sneak up on me,'_ McGee thought to himself. "Hey, boss. Uh, this is Petty Officer Perelli. She is here to…" his voice trailed off. Despite having just been attacked, he didn't relish the thought of a dog being put to sleep.

"To collect the dog, sir." She completed for him. "Sorry to say he has to be put down. I wish there could be another way, but it's Navy Policy in fatal dog-mauling cases."

"Boss, I can take Petty Officer Perelli down, if you'd like."

Gibbs nodded and left the bullpen with a look on his face that could only read ' _good luck.'_

Perelli chuckled at the silent departure, turned to McGee and said, "You can call me Erica."

McGee smiled and turned to lead her towards the elevator. "Timothy."

NCIS

McGee stood in the elevator with Perelli on their way down to the lab. He wasn't too pleased to have to see Abby, but the sooner that dog was gone, the sooner they could smooth this over. He was sure Abby could be reasonable. Scruffy didn't know Abby at all, much less as well as McGee knew her. Besides, even if they weren't talking to him, at least he might get a date with _Erica_.

"You should probably know," he warned, "Abby, our forensic scientist, has become a bit attached to the dog."

"How attached?"

McGee tightened his lips and looked over as if to say, ' _be ready.'_

As the elevator door opened, he noticed the music sounded muffled instead of having its usual blaring clarity. They walked into the lab, seeing Abby and the dog in the back with the sliding door closed. As they got closer, the dog looked up at them, but Abby kept her eyes locked on her computer screen. They reached the door but the motion sensor didn't open it. McGee was surprised at first, and waved his arm at the sensor, and even tried to push the door to the side, but with a frustrated sigh came to realize Abby jammed it shut. He knocked on the door, and the dog stood up and barked.

"Pay no attention to him, Jethro," Abby's voice cut through the music with obvious spite.

' _Oh god,'_ McGee thought. _'She named it. And named it Jethro. Now she'll never get rid of it...'_

"Abby, open the door." McGee tried not to shout, but had to be loud enough to carry over the music.

She clearly heard him, but with a smug smile she ignored him.

"Jethro has to go know." Even saying that name felt weird. "Abby!"

"I can't hear you, McGee," she called, not looking up.

"If you can't hear me, why did you answer?" This was getting ridiculous.

She looked away for a second, calculating, then got up and turned her music up even louder.

McGee looked over to Perelli as if to say, _'See?'_ Turning back, Abby was staring at him with fire in her eyes.

"I am not opening the door until Jethro is proven innocent!"

"Abby, do not make a scene!"

"Too late, McGee, I am in FULL scene mode!"

McGee was losing his patience, and Abby was much too happy about it.

"You can't stay in there forever."

Again, with a smug smile, she said, "I'm fully stocked on both _Caf-POW!_ and kibble. I'm good for at least a few days." She pointed towards the small keg of _Caf-POW!_ and to an open bag of dog food.

' _Peacefully, but directly.'_ Scruffy's words echoed in his head. They were well past 'peacefully,' and McGee snapped.

"Are you serious right now, Abby? This dog attacked me, and this is the choice you're making?!" He shouted this time, and he gave the door a frustrated kick. Jethro rose up and snarled at him, making him jump back. He looked at Abby's face, and she was quite pleased with herself. That stung more than the bites in his arm and neck. She was being beyond stubborn, and pushing away everything all for this dog, including him.

' _Scruffy was right. Dammit.'_

He looked over at Perelli, and muttered "Sorry" before turning to go to the elevator.

"Don't worry about it. I'll come back once this mess is cleared up," she said. She glanced at him on the elevator back up, but McGee only nodded and didn't feel like talking. He'd ask her out another time.

After Perelli left, McGee sat at his desk in the bullpen, thinking of how Abby was just making everything worse. Even if Gibbs went down there to tell her it was time to give up Jethro, she'd probably dig in her heels, which would damage THEIR relationship next.

But then again, Gibbs has been a father figure to them all, especially her. Maybe she would listen to him. McGee's head was spinning again. If Gibbs is the father figure, who is he? What is his relationship to Abby? Brother? Friend? Ex? He thought they were sort of in that space between friends and siblings, but this was just insulting.

' _She wronged you, she needs to prove she's your friend. Or are you just worried she may not be able to prove it?'_ Scruffy's words echoed again.

McGee sunk his head into his hands. _'Why did he have to say that? Things would've been fine if he hadn't pushed it.'_

' _Really?'_

He resigned himself to defeat. _'No.'_ McGee brought up his chat window, and saw Scruffy was online. He needed to talk to him.

 **Elflord:** _Hey_

He waited a few minutes hoping it would be read. Nothing. He went back to the surveillance videos, every minute checking the status window. When it finally said "Read," he stopped the video, waiting for a response. Scruffy's status icon changed from the green 'online' to the grey 'offline.' McGee was alone.

NCIS

Tim sat at home, staring at his computer screen. He got up several times, getting dinner, a drink, tidying one last thing, all before inevitably finding himself sitting in front of that computer, afraid to open Scruffy's chat window. Neither one of them had said anything since Tim's message earlier. Tim sighed and turned to his typewriter, but the words he felt like typing weren't meant to just be on paper for his eyes only, they were for somebody.

' _You've never even met the guy,'_ he heard in Tony's voice.

' _But you trust him, and you don't simply give out trust.,'_ he heard in Ziva's voice.

"Oh great." He dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling, speaking to himself. "I'm that guy with the angel and demon on his shoulders."

He looked back and gained the courage to click on the chat window. It was still empty, only now Scruffy's status showed as online. It was now or never, so he started to type.

 **Elflord:** _Hey, I'm sorr-_

Scruffy's message came in while Tim was typing.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Hey, I'm sorry if I overstepped earlier. I kinda figured I went too far when you just dropped._

Relief spread through Tim seeing the message.

 **Elflord:** _No, don't be. You were right, and I didn't want to listen. I'm sorry I shut you out like that._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _No, I shouldn't have assumed anything about your friend. It wasn't my place._

 **Elflord:** _You had my back, and that's more than I can say about her._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _So you're not mad?_

 **Elflord:** _No. I was, then I realized I was being a jerk and just covering for her again._

 **Elflord:** _Thank you_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Good. I felt bad all day. I really like you and didn't like the idea of pissing you off, especially after you'd just been attacked and needed a friend._

 **Elflord:** _Don't worry about it, we're still good :) I really like you too. It's weird, I barely know you but I still feel more comfortable talking to you about some things than my other friends._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Really?_

 **Elflord:** _Yeah._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Me too. There's something I've kinda wanted to do, but I wasn't sure if you were interested._

Tim flushed. He wasn't sure where Scruffy would go with this. It felt like they just had their first fight like a couple and just made up. He kinda liked the subtle flirts, but they had never really openly talked about it. Plus, Tim had never actually been with a guy, and especially something developing over the internet? How far was he comfortable going? What was he willing to reveal to what anyone else would call a stranger?

But then again, this guy did just prove he had his best interest at heart, and he did like him. He wanted to share and be a little more personal, but where do they draw the new line? They hadn't exactly pushed it before. Then Tim figured that if Scruffy does turn out to be some _Fatal Attraction_ kind of guy, at least he had defenses. He decided to take a chance.

 **Elflord:** _What?_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _…_

The chat window expanded to become a video call request. Tim's mind raced back and forth, _'Do It'_ and _'Don't Do It'_ shouting louder and louder. He was risking a lot of privacy, but then again so was Scruffy. His heart was pounding. _'He's trying to prove he's your friend.'_ Tim shut him out earlier, and didn't want to do it again. He hit "Accept."

The windows populated with Scruffy's live image, and they were silent as they quickly absorbed each other's details. He had a full jaw with a short but full dirty-blonde beard, matching his dirty-blonde short hair, which was styled into a small faux-hawk. His cheeks were full and flushed, pulled back in a nervous but excited smile. His eyes were deep blue and expressed his excitement more than the smile. His face was kind and gentle, but firey and alive.

" _Hi, I'm David."_

"Hey, I'm Timothy. Tim."

David bit his bottom lip and blushed, which also made Tim blush in return, and they both grinned like idiots. David shifted in his seat, and Tim saw that he had a bar in his left ear and a ring through his right. Abby would get a kick out of them, but he could see Gibbs tugging on them if Tim ever had them. He also noticed a small silver chain necklace, but couldn't see the pendant weighing it down. David was a bit stocky, but had biceps of someone who worked out in spare time. Biceps had never done anything for Tim before, but upon seeing this man he felt a stirring in his groin. Just under the hem of his right sleeve, he saw the tips of what looked like a tribal tattoo reaching down the muscle from his shoulder, and on his left was an intricate celtic band.

The silence was deafening as they each observed the other, both seemingly satisfied with what they saw and what they were expecting, until David's eyes caught the bandage on Tim's neck.

" _Oh my god, are you sure you're ok?"_ His voice was soft, but intense with worry.

Tim was confused. He had totally forgotten about the bandages, but then saw David's hand go up to his own neck.

"Huh? Oh I'm fine, it doesn't really even hurt anymore." Tim kept smiling. This was comfortable, they'd taken a step and it seemed to work. Hoping to hear his voice again, he replied, "How are you? How was your day? You've kinda heard all about mine already."

" _Well not quite as bloody as yours, though I did accidentally burn myself pulling pastries out of the oven."_

' _Ah, a baker, then.'_ Tim thought to himself, saying."Aw, you ok?"

" _You got assaulted by a raging Shepherd. I got glanced by a hot oven rack, and you're asking me if I'm alright?"_ They both chuckled for a minute. Tim liked him. " _Naw I'm fine, happens a lot. Just run it under cold water then steal some chocolate icing when no one's looking,"_ David said, remembering it fondly. _"Plus it distracted me from tracking my car."_

"Oh right! Where is it?" Tim was excited about someone else's car. Yeah, he definitely liked David.

" _Still on dry land on the other side of the pond, but they should be loading up the ship in about… four hours. I half expecting to see it covered in scratches by the time it gets here."_

"I can already see you running in slow motion towards your car while cheesy music plays."

David's jaw dropped in mock disgust. _"Well I think we now know who's not getting a ride, ever."_

Tim was relieved that his humor was jiving well with David, and things seemed to be going along smoothly.

"When I got my Porsche, I wouldn't even let my sister in it. My coworker loves cars, and I don't even let him near it." Tim loved seeing Tony's jealous looks over that car.

" _Considering what you've told me about that him and cars, that seems like good self-preservation."_

Tony's last car, a 1966 Mustang, was blown up during a cover operation, though Tim said a tree fell on it. His car before that was a 1990 Corvette, but Tim did tell David the truth that it had been stolen and crashed.

They chatted until almost 0100 about everyday things. David revealed that he lived in a suburb of Philadelphia, and owned a small bakery. Tim enjoyed getting to know him better but they each kept certain details hidden. Tim told him that he worked for the government as an investigator, but didn't say which branch or his exact position. He never told anyone he dated exactly where he worked, and David didn't ask, but he was satisfied knowing that he at least was surrounded by people who were good at their jobs, especially Ducky for when things went sideways.

" _Jesus, it's 1 AM already?"_ David yawned.

"Wow, I really need to get some sleep. Gotta get this case closed." He looked down, thinking of having to confront Abby again tomorrow.

" _And your coworker friend? With the dog?"_

"Yeah. She's…" he trailed off, not sure what to say. He didn't want to spoil a good evening.

" _If you say this isn't like her, eventually she'll come around. Let her know how you feel, and if she's really your friend she'll be sorry that she hurt you."_

Tim looked at David. He seemed to really care. He almost seemed to be protecting yet encouraging Tim. It made Tim flush a bit.

"I'll try. Good night, David."

" _Good night, Tim."_

They both lingered for an extra few seconds, looking at the other, then disconnected.

NCIS

McGee successfully avoided Abby for most of the day, instead burying himself in only the most critical parts of the leftover video surveillance of the flight crew, which didn't give any leads. On the plus side, he didn't have to swab the entire C-130 and take prints. On the negative side, he was still without anything to do but go over footage that he's almost memorized frame-for-frame by now.

He heard the thudding of heavy boots heading towards the bullpen, and their rapid pace could only mean one person.

"McGee!" Abby was bouncy and excited, and was also carrying a jar with 'Jethro' scribbled on it with her. "Jethro is fine. I'm taking a collection for flowers." She opened the jar and tipped it towards him, with her smug smile still spread wide.

"Why would I give flowers to a dog that attacked me?"

"Um, maybe because dog is man's best friend. Or maybe because I am a forensic scientist, and I could boil you from the inside out and never leave a trace." She thrust the jar at him.

' _Enough of this crap.'_ "You know what, Abby? Do it. Go ahead, boil me. I have no reason to help that dog and certainly no reason to help _you._ "

Abby was shocked, and took take a step back. Her smug smile was nowhere to be found. "Wh- What do you mean, McGee?"

"What do you think?!" he said, slightly raising his voice, his pent up tension from the last couple of days boiling to the surface. "You've treated me like crap and acted like a child for the last two days, all because of a dog. You instantly dismissed me. It was an insult to our entire friendship. You were supposed to be my best friend. I don't even know what to think anymore." He huffed turned back to his computer.

Abby stood for a moment, completely silent. After a few seconds she whispered, "McGee… I'm sorry."

He looked up at her, wanting to believe it, but a whispered apology was just not enough. He turned back to his computer.

Seeing that he was still upset, she took a moment to really look at him. The bandage on his neck was pretty large; and she knew if the bite had been much deeper and if Ducky hadn't gotten there quickly, he could've died. She also looked at his arm, still bandaged and swollen. She put down the jar, sat on the edge of his desk and gently lowered her hand on top of his bandaged one, brushing her fingers over the bandage without pressing on them. Tim decided to let her.

"This looks like it really hurt," she said quietly.

He nodded.

"Timmy… I'm really sorry. I should've been there for you."

He could tell she meant it this time.

"It's just…" her voice started to crack, "dogs can't stick up for themselves. And if I can't, who will?"

"Abs," McGee put his other hand on hers. "Whenever we're on the same side, it always works out. Why couldn't you trust me?"

"You were going to let that woman put Jethro down."

"I was doing my job."

"This was more important to me than the job."

"You still could've done better."

She lowered her head. "I know. I really am sorry."

They stood up and hugged, both relieved that things could get back to normal.

"He really is a good dog, McGee."

"Oh, alright…" He took out $20 and put it in the jar.

"Thanks!" She closed the jar and kissed McGee on the cheek as Gibbs walked into the bullpen.

"McGee," he said in his usual 'give-me-an-update' tone.

McGee proceeded to update Gibbs on the limited surveillance data they had while Tony and Ziva returned from sweeping the C-130 for evidence. They finally got a lead from the tip of a boot knife that Jethro had swallowed and Ducky retrieved. Cross-referencing eventually pointed to Petty Officer Perelli, the redhead that McGee had failed to flirt with not 24 hours ago.

"Evidence locker, McGee. Get log 421," Gibbs ordered, turning to leave.

' _Alright! No more damn surveillance, everything's right with Abby, everything… well everything's NOT right with Erica but they are with David, and I'll never have to worry about that dog again.'_


	3. Chapter 3

NCIS

Chapter 3

" _Look at that face! Look at the wittle faaace!"_ David's voice was raspy over the computer from his cold. Tim's webcam looked out from his desk over towards the couch where Jethro was laying down. David had been fawning over him between sneezes for the last half hour while Tim made breakfast. Tim was out of sight the camera, but was smiling and rolling his eyes at all the cooing.

Since Abby had asked him to keep Jethro, both Ziva and Abby started coming around a lot more often, which meant Tim needed more seats. He pushed his electronics workstation up against the wall next to his desk. With the extra space, he added a sofa that was centered across from his monitor, which also allowed him to watch movies out there with Jethro instead of just in his bedroom.

" _He's so handsome, isn't he? Such a good boy! He's a- a-"_ David went silent.

"Bless you!" Tim called from the kitchen, while gathering his breakfast to carry over to his desk. He was grateful David muted his microphone this time. The last two sneezes were so loud they had Jethro up and growling. It was funny, and Tim was enjoying getting to know David more and more, even if he was sick.

" _Ugghhhhh…"_ David moaned. _"I think I need an entire truck to get rid of all these tissues and another one to refill me."_

"Poor thing. Gonna stay home again?" Tim made soup to bring into work, but wanted a bowl for breakfast with bread to dip and a side of bacon. He wanted David to enjoy it vicariously, at least. For now, all David could enjoy were thick pajamas, a blanket, and his third packet of tissues just this morning.

" _I might go in just to kill Maisey. First she gives me the cold, then she tells everyone I'm really just taking off to spend time with my car. It'd be funnier if my damn car wasn't still in the middle of the damn ocean because at least it COULD be true."_ He lapsed into a coughing fit.

"Shh, shh. Take it easy, now. Don't talk too much." Tim enjoyed coddling him.

" _Hey, you called me, remember?"_ He gave a weak smile, which wasn't half bad given his puffy eyes and nose. _"What kind of soup did you make again?"_

"Chicken noodle. You'd love it."

" _Enjoy it for me. I'm not sure if I can even taste anything right now. God, this sucks. I'm even missing leg day at the gym."_

"Aww. Well don't worry, you'll be able to catch up in a couple of days. I gotta get ready for work soon, so you go get some sleep. Pop on a Golden Girls or something and stay put."

" _Huh. Stay put. Jethro, I think your mother is talking to you,"_ he said sarcastically.

Tim sputtered out some soup while laughing. "Come on, now, I'm not that bad, am I?" He pouted his lower lip just a bit.

" _Mmm, a little bit, but it's nice."_ David smiled, but if his eyes weren't shutting themselves he would've seen Tim flush to beet red.

"Bed," he ordered, smiling confidently.

" _Yes sir,"_ David pulled off a lazy salute and chuckled. _"Have a good day at work, Timmy."_

"Sleep tight." Tim disconnected, then began clearing the dishes from his desk.

Their talks had become more and more frequent, and they ended up having breakfast together in the mornings unless the other had to leave earlier than usual. They kept getting more familiar, exchanging numbers, talking about coworkers, but telling each other their last names. At first, Tim was somewhat camera-shy, and he usually cooked in his t-shirt and boxers, but David was usually in the same attire and they were comfortable. It wasn't done as anything sexual, but each could tell the other didn't mind looking.

He thought about telling Ziva about him. She always had a more open mind and would be able to give an honest opinion. Tony would spout 5-10 movies where this would be a bad idea, not to mention the _McNicknames_ he'd come up with if Tim said it was a man. Abby? He had suspicions about her knowledge of his potential bisexuality, but she'd probably ask for David's full name and IP address so she run could a background check him. Tony would probably support that.

Grabbing his keys and his bag, Tim strutted out to his car. This was his little secret, and it was making him very happy.

NCIS

"They're going to send one of us to Iraq!" McGee said excitedly to Abby.

They believed a marine was shot by friendly fire during a mortar attack in the International Zone of Baghdad, Iraq. He was down in Abby's lab figuring out a way to get chosen for the investigation since the whole team would not be deployed. He was pacing and couldn't sit still, whereas she was busy cataloguing evidence.

"Why would you want to go to Baghdad? You're gonna get bombed and shot at." Abby's tone was one of worry, but with a not-so-subtle hint of 'Are you stupid?' undertones.

"Everyone has gone except for me."

"I've never been." _'And I'm fully content with that,'_ she added in her head.

"By everyone, I mean Tony and Ziva and Gibbs. Gibbs must have gone to Iraq dozens of times. I just want to go _once!_ "

"To earn your stripes?" She looked up from her clipboard.

"Yeah. To prove myself."

"To die?"

McGee rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna die in Baghdad. Thing is, though, before I go, they have to choose me."

"So why don't you just go talk to the Director? Or our Acting Director?"

"Assistant Director," he corrected.

"Right. Leon."

"I can't. Tony says if I really want to go, then I shouldn't volunteer. But if he says I shouldn't volunteer, then he thinks I will volunteer, which means that if I really want to go, I shouldn't volunteer."

"That's…" _'really not good logic, given Tony…'_ "... good, Timmy. It sounds like you're… Not doing exactly what you shouldn't?"

McGee looked satisfied, and a half-hour later he was ready when Vance walked into the bullpen with Gibbs. Ziva and Agent Jardine, on the other hand, intercepted Vance and immediately began regaling him with reasons why their own selves should be picked for the assignment. After speaking to them both, Vance turned away.

"McGee?"

"Yes, sir." McGee jumped up at the ready.

"Disappointed." McGee's face dropped as Vance continued. "You're the only one who didn't volunteer. Missions like this give an agent an opportunity to prove themselves."

' _TONY!'_ His eyes narrowed at the other agent's desk, and Tony was looking everywhere but in McGee's direction.

"But, uh, Tony - he didn't volunteer, either!"

"He spoke to me earlier." With that, Vance gave DiNozzo and Jardine orders to get on the next plane to Baghdad. Then he and Gibbs walked upstairs, leaving McGee and Ziva in the bullpen.

McGee sat down in his chair, leering at Tony, who smirked then left to go pack. He looked over at Ziva, who also shared a disappointed look. He hated when Tony played him like that. He hated that every opportunity he had, Tony shoved him back down.

He pulled out his phone, seeing that there was a message from David.

 **David:** _Is it bad when you take a nap, and you're still so tired that you have to take a nap again?_

McGee wanted to smile, but was too disappointed about Baghdad.

 **Tim:** _Wish my problems were that simple._

 **David:** _Oh no, what's wrong?_

 **Tim:** _Work stuff. Tony tricked me out of a really good opportunity to go abroad._

 **David:** _Seriously? That's shitty. Where would you be going?_

 **Tim:** _I can't say, but it would've been amazing. Only 2 of us could go, they picked him and one other person because he tricked me into not volunteering._

 **David:** _How much time before they leave? I could give him this cold. Would that disqualify him?_

Now McGee couldn't help but snicker, which got Ziva's attention. Her eyes narrowed, and she analyzed McGee's body language. He seemed disappointed, but like whatever he was doing was lifting his spirits and bringing a slight tinge of pink to his cheeks.

' _Oh really?'_ She thought. _'Something, or_ someone _, was able to reverse the effects of a DiNozzo prank, and pinto. No, pronto is the word.'_ She got up from her desk and slowly walked over to McGee's desk.

"What's so funny, McGee?"

"Huh?" He looked up at Ziva's calculating look, and was suddenly aware of his smile and warm feeling in his cheeks. "Oh." He quickly typed "Haha TTYL" to David and stuffed his phone in his pocket before Ziva could see. "It's nothing."

"If it's nothing, why are your cheeks red?"

"No. It's really nothing, Ziva." He turned to his computer.

"Uh-huh." _'Not getting off that easy, McGee.'_ If she didn't get to investigate in Baghdad, she was going to do so now. "Well let's see."

"Ziva," he warned.

"You found something shiny and new that you want?"

He didn't budge.

"Maybe not something, but…" leaning down and whispering seductively, " _someone?"_

McGee glared at her but quickly look back.

"Ah ha, so definitely _'someone._ ' Who?"

Nothing.

"A woman you recently met?"

McGee used all his willpower to keep from making any movement that Ziva would detect.

"No? Perhaps…"

' _Don't, Ziva…'_

"A man?"

His eyes flickered.

"Ah ha!"

"Ziva." He looked up. "Please."

"Oh come on McGee, it's not that big of a deal!"

"You're right, so drop it."

"No no, we're going to be left behind on this assignment, we might as well at least cheer each other up. What's going on?"

McGee sighed. He wanted to ask her eventually, he just wasn't ready yet. He wasn't even sure if he could describe it if he wanted to. She was going to stay on the topic if he didn't give her _something_ to work with, though.

"I'm not sure yet, and I'm trying not to push it because I don't even know what it is."

"Whatever it is, he makes you happy?"

"Yeah. Somehow he does, even after Tony pulls his stunts. I'm just…" he shrugged, "not really ready to talk about it yet."

That seemed to satisfy her for now, as she smiled and said, "Well you know you can tell me all about it whenever you'd like. But believe me, if you don't, I will keep asking." He didn't doubt it.

NCIS

Tim had the question on his lips since he had gotten home, but was trying to find the right moment in his video chat with David to ask. What exactly were they? Where were they going? Should he tell Ziva about this new… somebody… who was brightening his days?

David had been doing better after a day's rest, but still seemed somewhat out of it. Tim was still smarting from Tony's prank, but talking it out made him feel better.

"At least I'm probably more comfortable than they are right now," Tim said over some leftover soup.

" _I'm assuming they're going over the Atlantic?"_

"Yeah, but they're not flying commercial or private."

" _Ugh. My body aches just thinking about that. I mean, it aches anyway but that thought doesn't help."_

They were silent for a couple of minutes. Tim took a few slurps of soup, David had a mug of tea that he was inhaling, though only one of his nostrils seemed to be functioning at the moment.

" _So are you gonna tell me what else is eatin' ya?"_

Tim looked up in surprise, but then looked away. _'Great, he's reading my mind now.'_

" _No, I'm not reading your mind, just your lower lip."_

Tim blushed, then smiled and gently bit his lower lip, which had been twitching all night.

"Ziva asked about you today. Well, not exactly about you. Just, she noticed I've been a little happier, and she saw me on my phone earlier, and was just surprised to see me laugh just after one of Tony's stunts."

" _Oh,"_ he said, straightening up. He looked a little surprised, and a little more worried. _"So… what did you tell her?"_

"Well…" Tim felt like he was on the edge of a cliff. Were they just going to come out with it and try to be in a relationship? Tim didn't know how that would even work at this stage. Would he say they were just friends? And would doing so seal off the closeness they've developed? It certainly was more than just friends. Or would he be really safe and just say he didn't tell her anything?

"I really didn't know what to tell her, to be honest. I really don't know what this-" he slowly waved his hands around them "-is. I mean we talk like friends but sometimes it seems like we're more… than just… friends." Tim couldn't tell if the look in David's eyes was relief, terror, or his heart breaking. _'Oh god I'm blowing it.'_ His heartbeat stopped and he held his breath.

" _Me too. I don't know what to do."_ David sniffed, and Tim wasn't sure if that was his cold or if he was upset. _"I… do… feel something for you, Tim, and it's not just friendship."_

Tim let out a surge of relief, and his heart skipped at the admission. _'Thank god.'_

David let out a choked gasp on his end, and coughed a couple of times into some tissues.

Tim felt hopeful. "Why didn't you say anything?"

" _Well, I wasn't sure how you felt. Why didn't you?"_

"I've…" _'Uh oh. Here's the hitch in the plan.'_ "I've never actually… been… with a guy… before."

" _I didn't think so. So… what does that mean for- this?"_

Tim took a couple of deep breaths. He wasn't averse to having a relationship, especially with David, but he just didn't know how.

"What do you want it to mean?" Tim blurted out.

" _I'd… I don't know. I haven't felt this, whatever this is, or this confused in a long time."_

"Me either."

" _I've really enjoyed spending time with you and you fussing over me."_

"Me too, not to mention Jethro. He's been starting to look at my computer in the morning, waiting."

" _I think since this is new for you, it should be your decision. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, ever. But we're also long-distance, and that doesn't usually end well. I don't want anything bad to happen to what we have, whatever it is."_

"It's been great so far." Tim smiled again. "And yeah, I really don't know what to call this either, but I want to actually be able to feel it with you." _'This is right.'_

David brightened up, his smile widening to its extent and cheeks reddening. Things were going to be ok.

" _Me too. I keep feeling like I'm going to say something and you'll think I'm creepy or going to far, like before."_

"I never thought you were creepy, and don't forget that you were right that time."

" _You know what I mean. Do you think maybe we should meet? You know, for real?"_

"I'd love that! Why don't you come down to DC for a weekend?"

" _Great. I can break in the new car on the drive down. Like a maiden voyage."_

"I'll work out a time and a place, and you can come stay with me."

" _Stay with you after just meeting you? You think I'm that easy?"_ David batted his eyelashes.

"Well, you could get a hotel in DC… it's not like they charge double on the weekends or anything…" Tim said sarcastically.

" _Dibs on the couch. I've been eying it for weeks and it looks so comfy. Oh and Jethro sleeps with me!"_

"The couch? You sure?"

" _Yeah. I don't think we should get into bed too quickly, do you?"_

"You're right. Not too fast, just… being us, and letting-"

"-Letting it grow naturally." they said together.

" _Only give me some time to get over this cold, otherwise the only thing you'll be growing naturally is viral plague."_

NCIS

Ziva was studying her computer particularly hard when McGee walked out of the elevator towards the bullpen. He already knew what she was doing, mainly because he was doing the same thing over breakfast with David.

"World clocks," he said as he looked over the half-wall at her desk. "Wouldn't be checking the time in Iraq, would you?"

Ziva quickly closed the program, flustered. "Don't know what you're talking about," she said shaking her head and trying to feign disinterest.

He smiled, then sat on the edge of Gibbs' desk facing Ziva. "I did some more digging into Rankin's murder. His wife thinks it had something to do with that land deal with Ridgeway."

"So she says," she added, but she didn't seem convinced.

"Think she did it? She is the one that called us."

"Well it would not be the first time someone tried to throw us up that way."

" _Off,"_ he corrected, "throw us _off._ "

"Exactly. However, Kelvin Ridgeway is guilty of more than just being a pig. Of that, I am sure."

"You know what? I checked Captain Rankin's phone records from Iraq." He pulled up to Ziva's desk and opened the records. "In the two days before he was killed, he called 3 people: his wife Dina, his partner Kelvin Ridgeway, and this guy George Stenner." He pulled up Stenner's webpage. "He owns a small company called Land Test Labs. They do soil testing." 

"Rankin called Stenner three times the day he was killed."

"Gibbs is definitely going to want to talk to him."

McGee made it halfway to his desk before Ziva called over, "Speaking of calls, any updates on the-" she dropped to a whisper, _"mystery man?"_

He dropped to his chair with a smile. "Yes, actually."

Ziva sat up in her chair, ready to absorb the juicy details.

"We've decided to meet."

Her expression dropped and her eyes widened in shock. "Wait, meet? You haven't even _met_ this man yet?!"

"Alright, it's not THAT bad." He tried to calm her down. "We've been talking for almost a year. We started video chatting about 2 months ago, and we've talked pretty much every day since then. He's really nice, he even helped me pick out stuff for Jethro."

She moved over to his desk, and stood in front of him with her arms folded."How well do you know him? What do you know about him, and more importantly, what does he know about you?" She was in full 'big sister' mode.

"His name is David, he's 28, lives in Pennsylvania, runs a small bakery, and he plays the guitar-"

"Do you _know_ that or did he just tell you that?"

"I'm not doing a background check on him!" He looked up and met her suspicious glare. "Well, ok, I did do a check on the bakery and confirmed that he actually owns it, but I only used public record and did NOT invade his personal life."

"I want to be there when you meet him," she said firmly.

"You are NOT going to interrogate him."

"McGee-" She looked down at him. He seemed pretty serious. "Tim, I just want to make sure you're being careful. You know the kind of people we deal with, and I don't want to see you get hurt because I didn't have your back. Please, let me do this. I promise to be nice."

He thought about it for a moment. He wanted to show David that he trusted him, but in his line of work he really did have to be careful. He thought about his little sister Sarah, and figured that if this were her, he wouldn't even ask to be there; it wouldn't be optional. He looked up at Ziva and smiled. She was supporting him.

"Ok. I want you to talk over chat first, get to know him a little bit so he doesn't feel intimidated when he comes."

"When is he coming?"

"Not sure yet. He's got the flu, and he's also waiting for his new car to arrive. He wants to drive it down here."

"New car? Expensive?"

"Mini, like yours but he's getting his from England."

"Hmm, not bad as far as taste. And he's staying…?"

"With me, and- _no!"_ He looked up at her and shook his finger at her surprised, and rather knowing, look, "he is _not_ going to be sleeping in my bed. He asked to sleep on the couch."

" _McGee!"_ she hissed. "Are you seriously not even going to be a gentleman and give him the bed while _you_ take the couch?"

"He specifically asked for the couch!"

"You're the host! You still give him the bed!" She walked back to her desk, shaking her head. "Men." Sitting down, she shot him a threatening look, "At least tell me you're making him dinner."

"Of course, Ziva. Geez, you make me sound like a monster. And Ziva?"

She looked up.

"Thanks."

She smiled and turned to her computer.

He pulled out his phone to text David.

 **Tim:** _I told her :)_

 **David:** _And?_

 **Tim:** _She's wants to chat with you before you come down._

 **David:** _Good chat, or run for your life chat?_

 **Tim:** _Big sister chat._

 **David:** _LOL ok. When?_

 **Tim:** _This evening?_

 **David:** _You want me to speak to someone who's basically your big sister while I'm still coughing up a lung and only have half of a useable sinus?_

 **Tim:** _lol not video, just text chat. I already told her you were sick._

 **David:** _Ok._

 **Tim:** _You'll be fine, I promise._

 **David:** _You sure?_

 **Tim:** _Trust me._

 **David:** _Ok :)_

NCIS

McGee and Ziva just finished arresting Stenner, Ridgeway, and their hitman Alan Hayes. They were both at their desks finishing the last of their paperwork when he opened up his chat window.

 **Elflord:** _Hey, just finishing up work. You ready?_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Yeah. I'm just a little nervous. She sounds… intimidating._

 **Elflord:** _Don't worry! One sec._

 **[LadyZ has been added to the conversation]**

 **Elflord:** _Hey Ziva_

Ziva looked up at McGee and raised an eyebrow. He nodded back to her screen.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Hi Ziva, I'm David, nice to meet you._

 **LadyZ:** _Oh, hello! How are you?_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _I'm doing ok, been resting for the last couple of days trying to get over this cold._

 **Elflord:** _Did the Benadryl help?_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Yeah. I was knocked out pretty much until around 3. My phone rang right next to my head and I slept right through it._

 **LadyZ:** _Do you get sick often?_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Not really, maybe a couple of times a year. I have to be careful since I work with food._

 **LadyZ:** _And what is it that you do?_

"Ziva," McGee verbally warned from his desk.

"Just making sure," she said.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _I run a small bakery. We do all kinds of things - pastries, desserts, cake._

 **LadyZ:** _That's nice, any specialty?_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _I like wedding cakes, especially when the couples have some imagination or want something original._

 **LadyZ:** _I see. McGee was telling me you're getting an imported car. That's pretty expensive, especially to ship. You afforded that running a bakery?_

" _Ziva!"_ McGee hissed, "You promised to be nice!"

"What? It's a valid question. He could be laundering money!"

 **Elflord:** _Ziva it's a Mini. You drive one too._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _We had a lot of Christmas weddings. The entire shop pulled double-overtime. It was kinda a treat to myself._

 **LadyZ:** _Did you go to school for baking?_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _No, I went to school in Philadelphia for IT, but I really enjoyed baking. I was good with tech, but I always saw people enjoy themselves more with something fresh from the oven than electronics._

 **LadyZ:** _Well I look forward to tasting your desserts sometime. How did you meet Tim?_

 **Elflord:** _We met playing that MMORPG that I showed you._

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Yeah, and we started talking about more than just the game, and had a lot in common._

 **LadyZ:** _When do you think you might be coming down?_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _I don't know, we haven't set a date yet._

"You, Ziva and _Scruffy_ can find dates on your own time, McGee."

McGee's eyes widened in horror and he scrambled to close the window. Gibbs appeared out of nowhere behind McGee.

"Turn in your reports and go home," he said on his way up to Vance's office.

"Sure thing, boss," McGee called.

He opened up the window to see Scruffy frantically messaging.

 **ScruffyLookin:** _OMG IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! MY BABY MADE IT!_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _They just called! I get to pick it up tomorrow! Not a scratch, baby!_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Ok I really have to go I've got so much to do_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Lovely to meet you Ziva, give Timmy a big squeeze for me!_

 **ScruffyLookin:** _Bye Timmy I'll talk to you tomorrow! :D_

McGee couldn't resist grinning when seeing David so happy. He finished his report and he and Ziva dropped them on Gibbs' desk together.

"Well?" he said expectantly.

"He seems nice, I just would like to know more about him."

"Me too. Every time I find out more, I end up like him even more."

"Good." She reached over and gave him a tight hug.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you, _Timmy,_ " she teased, and poked his sides causing him to jump.


	4. Chapter 4

NCIS

Chapter 4

"14:13," Tim nervously said to himself. He had been checking his watch almost every 30 seconds since he and Ziva had sat down at their table. He went back to studying the groups of people walking through the park gates.

"Relax, he's coming," she reassured him. Despite Tim's initial objections, Ziva remained adamant about being there when he met David. She picked the cafe near the Natural History Museum because they had outdoor dining, which meant they could get a better look at him when arrived. She also chose this location because the menu was mostly small plates and sandwiches, so if the first date was a disaster at least it didn't have to last long.

They decided on a Saturday so that work had little chance of interfering. Tim had been nervous about what to wear. He wasn't sure if this really counted as a date, and he didn't want to be overdressed and make David self-conscious. The weather was sunny, tepid temperature with a cool breeze, so he decided on a light sport coat but with a light green t-shirt underneath, and jeans instead of his usual suit pants. They were supposed to meet at 1400, but of course Tim demanded that they get there a half hour early just in case. David, however, was running late, which didn't surprise Ziva but was torturing a very anxious Timothy McGee.

"It's just traffic, McGee. How long did it take you to adjust to DC traffic? Not to mention parking."

"I know, I know." He looked back at his watch.

"Wait, I think that's him."

He gasped and stood up from the table. He saw the familiar rounded face with the short beard and the cropped dirty-blond haircut, the slightly stocky torso, built arms, and strong legs. The face was scanning the park nervously, until David's eyes locked with Tim's. He immediately smiled the warmest smile Tim had ever seen. Even from a distance across the lot, the glint from his eyes sent Tim's heart racing.

Tim looked back at Ziva and smiled ecstatically, then looked back to see David walking straight for him. He was wearing a maroon zip-up hoodie with the arms pulled halfway up, blue bootcut jeans, and black canvas shoes. Comfortable, but clean and neat. David opened his arms for a hug, and they each broke into a laugh as they half-walked/half-jogged into their first embrace.

Ziva observed the pair as they held onto each other for a few moments. She sensed nothing hostile, but decided to keep her guard mostly up just in case. This was a man from the internet, after all.

"Oh god, it's so good to see you," David said breathlessly.

"It's great to see you too. I was worried when you ran late." Tim was glowing with relief. This wasn't some colossal joke, it was actually for real and standing right in front of him.

"I'm sorry, it was hell trying to find parking."

"Don't be, I'm just glad you made it. Oh, here! I want you to meet someone."

Tim put his hand on the small of David's back as he directed him to their table, but quickly let it slide off since they were in public and he wasn't really sure about etiquette yet. The touch was not unnoticed by David, who felt goosebumps run up his skin from the electrified contact.

Ziva stood up as they walked over, and offered her hand. "Ziva David."

David went straight for a hug before Ziva could refuse. She wasn't exactly surprised, but amused. _'He reminds me of Abby…'_ she thought to herself.

Releasing her, he finally said, "David O'Malley. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She let out a small smile before they all sat down, keeping her watchful eye on David. "How was the drive down?"

"It was fine. I left Philly just as the rush was dying down, and it was smooth sailing from there. It's been… probably 4 or 5 years since I've been down this way?" David tried to divide his attention equally between Ziva and Tim while he was speaking, but ultimately kept looking towards the latter.

"Well Ziva is on call today," Tim said with a subtle hint aimed towards his wingwoman, "but I took a personal day so I could show you around and get you settled, and we'll have all day to check out whatever you'd like."

Ziva received and dismissed the hint. She wasn't about to abandon her duty so quickly. "But it's been slow for the past few days, so I'm hoping to enjoy at least a couple hours of downtime." She smirked at Tim and picked up a menu.

"Actually I'm starving," David said, "So I'd love to grab a bite, then… Hmm… Maybe go to the Air and Space Museum?"

Tim lit up with excitement at the shared interest, even though he had already memorized most of the exhibits there. "Sounds good, what else?"

"I don't know, I really came down here to see you and your daily life. Maybe take a walk by the river, go for a run with Jethro?"

"He'll love that, another person to take him running," Ziva smiled. She was starting to like him.

"Do you have a dog too, Ziva?"

"Oh, no. I thought about it, but it's a really difficult commitment given our schedules. I'm amazed that McGee can keep up with it."

Tim blushed just a shade. "It's not that amazing, I have a dog walker in my complex. She knows what a busy schedule I have, so she helps out a lot."

The waiter came over to take their order. After clearing away their menus, Tim and David kept looking at each other and blushing. Ziva rolled her eyes. _'I'm not sure if they're men, or schoolgirls.'_

David was very nervous, especially knowing that Ziva was calculating his every word and move. He kept wanting to hold Tim's hand almost like an instinct, but they were in public, and he wasn't sure how Tim felt about that or if they were even to that point yet. It was awkward feeling like they had been together for a while, yet really it was their first time being in each other's physical presence.

Tim couldn't stop smiling, even though he knew he wasn't going to be able to shake Ziva. He appreciated her being there, but he could tell she was making David nervous. He felt this static electricity just being around David - the feeling of their hands being inches apart, their arms brushing together momentarily, and those eyes on him. More than anything, he just wanted to _absorb_ him.

"So, uh," David started, trying to break the silence, "where's the other musketeer? Tony?"

It took Ziva a second to understand the reference, but then she got it. "Oh, well-"

"-Well Tony can be awkward in certain situations," Tim said warily, "and I didn't want you running for the hills because of my crazy coworkers."

David raised his eyebrow slightly at Tim, then with a playful smile turned to Ziva and said, "He hasn't told Tony about me, I'm guessing?"

Oh yeah, Ziva liked him. "Nope. But to McGee's credit, I agreed with that decision. Tony tends to be the teasing type."

David suddenly looked concerned. "Is… Is this going to cause a problem at work? Will it be a problem if he finds out?" He looked at Tim.

"No," Tim said reassuringly. "Tony's harmless; he always has my back when it counts. He just views me as a muse for his mischief."

"Well just be careful."

"Have you had problems at work before, David?" Ziva asked.

"Oh, no. Being a pudgy gay baker is so typical it's almost cliche," David smiled proudly. "But then again, being the boss helps with that. My employees love me, but they know that the wrong word will have them out on the street without a reference."

"Gibbs is kinda like that too," Ziva added. "He's quite formidable, but he always backs us up. You know, McGee, I've never really heard you say anything about your sexual preference. I've seen you try to date women, but never a man before.

Tim thought about it for a moment. He never really felt like he was crossing a line when talking with David, it just kinda happened. He never thought about men that way until him.

"I guess I had never really thought about it before," he responded. He wasn't sure how comfortable he was having this conversation right in front of David. He didn't want him to be insulted by something he said. "With David it just kinda fell into place, it didn't feel like something different." He turned to David and smiled. "Does that make any sense?"

' _Just wait till you get in bed, then you'll notice a difference alright,'_ Ziva thought to herself.

"Yeah, it makes sense," David returned the smile. He wanted to help lead the way as far as anything physical between them, but he remembered how chaotic it was, figuring it out the first time himself.

"Have you had many relationships, David?" Ziva asked.

"A couple," _'I knew she'd ask eventually…'_ "The last one was pretty serious, but ended badly. If it's ok, I'd really rather not talk about it." _'Especially in front of Tim. Nooo way he's ready to hear this one."_

"It's fine," Tim said reassuringly. _'Nope, not my place to know yet. Making a mental note though.'_

"I understand," Ziva said. Tim knew Ziva was thinking about Lieutenant Roy Sanders, a man she fell in love with while he was dying of radiation poisoning. "You carry the good parts with you and let the rest go." She still ran with his orange beanie in the mornings.

The waiter finally delivered their food and drinks, and they each elicited small groans of pleasure from the quality of the food. They continued chatting about their various until a band came out to play on the outdoor stage. They agreed to a hasty exit when the singer's voice fell so flat that they all cringed, and they headed for the Air and Space Museum.

Tim spoke at a hundred words per minute about anything and everything they saw in the museum. Ziva tuned him out, but was happy to see that David was following along and hanging on Tim's every word, only ever looking away for a moment.

David was happy to see Tim in his element. Partly, he just loved hearing his voice in person instead of over the computer. It was rich, and full of that spark that is Tim. He could tell that Ziva was starting to soften towards him, and he tried to throw a joke or two her way to help her not feel like a third wheel.

Around 5:30, Ziva's phone rang, and she left to go look at a case file with Gibbs. "Behave, you two," she said with a smile as she walked away.

Tim looked at his watch and at David, and said, "It's getting close to dinner time, and I'll need to feed Jethro." They were both anticipating his next words. "I guess we should go back to my place?"

David's heart jumped and he bit his lower lip, both of them blushing. Failing to suppress his smile, he said, "Thought you'd never ask."

Tony would've been proud of his Probie.

NCIS

David's heart was pounding. He was in his car following behind Tim as he was being lead to his apartment. He had just driven a hundred miles to meet a guy he met on the internet who may or may not have been a federal agent. _'It's DC. Who ISN'T a federal agent?'_ he had thought when originally planning this out. But here he was, Tim was exactly who he claimed to be, and now they were headed back to his place. _'Oh god, I could barely keep my hands off him all the day, how am I supposed to sleep knowing he's just in the next room? What if he offers me the bed? Or what if he joins me? How far do I take it?'_

Little did he know, Tim was having a similar argument with himself in the car ahead. _'I really should offer him the bed like Ziva said. That way he can close the door and have his privacy.'_ He looked back to make sure the Mini was still following him. _'But what if he invites me in, and what happens if I want it? Or if he does take the couch, what if I want him to come in? What if I can't sleep knowing he's so close? I'm not even sure how it's supposed to work, who… "does" who?'_

They pulled into Tim's apartment complex in Silver Spring. Walking up the stairs, Tim could hear the unsteadiness in David's breathing. He felt just as nervous. He was walking someone he wanted up to his apartment with the intent of them spending the night. This only ever led to one thing, and while his body was telling him to go full throttle, he wanted to make sure they paced their relationship. He didn't want David to think he was stalling the physical side of their relationship, but he was afraid of them burning out if they went too far too fast. At least Jethro would provide a distraction, and Tim had to make dinner too. That gave them time to actually talk about it.

They reached Tim's apartment, and as predicted, Jethro was already scratching at the door with the knowledge that his owner was on the other side, and he had company.

As Tim fumbled with his keys, he turned to David and said, "Be ready for a bath."

David set down his bag and crouched down just before Tim opened the door. He was not disappointed. Jethro bolted out the door, stopping only inches in front of David before giving him a good sniffing. Then proceeded to lick any part of David's skin that he could reach while David gave him rubs.

Tim was glad they were getting along, though Tim and Jethro's first encounter wasn't exactly a fair social litmus test. "I'm usually not home until a little later, so I'll take him out now but do you want to go jogging with us tonight?"

"Are you kidding? I've been waiting weeks to give this fluffball some lovi-" David's coddling was cut off by Jethro rapidly licking his face.

Tim picked up David's duffel bag and headed inside. David had only ever seen the living room of Tim's apartment, so it took him a moment to get his bearings. The kitchen was on their left as they went through the door. It was small, but his eyes immediately locked on some open counter space that would be perfect for rolling out bread dough. Right above it was a breakfast nook cut out of the wall, which overlooked the living room. There were only 2 stools, which meant they'd be sitting right next to each other whenever they ate. David's skin quivered with anticipation.

The living room was divided by a wooden bookshelf that was open on both sides. The walls were off-white, the floors were hardwood. Tim's computer desk and electronics collection stood across from the sofa, with Jethro's bed just next to the sofa and in front of the shelves. The books faced the other side of the shelves, where the remainder of the room was made into Tim's writing space. The wall on this side was brick with a large factory window. His antique wooden desk sat in front of the window, with his inspirational pipe and typewriter sitting on top. His shredder and file cabinet sat in the corner, along with his vinyl player and collection.

Tim looked into his bedroom just to make sure it was tidy, still unsure whether or not David should sleep there instead. The door to the bedroom was on the writing side of the living room. Tim's king-sized bed took up most of the space, but he had a TV mounted above his dresser on the wall away from where the sun shone through the window. On the far wall was the door to the only bathroom. ' _David would have to come through the here to use the bathroom eventually, so he might as well have the bed.'_

David took in the apartment while Tim watched. His jaw dropped on site of the big-screen monitor and high-performance computer, and he shot Tim a look of pure geek-lust. David then peeked around the bookshelves and saw the typewriter. "Wow, you weren't kidding about writing. That's a pretty intense setup. Can I see some of what you wrote?"

' _Uh oh…'_ Tim thought to himself. "Well, um… You kinda already have. I'm sorry, when we were first talking, I didn't know we'd ever get to this point. _I_ wrote _'Deep Six'_ and Thom E. Gemcity is my pen name."

"Wait, really?" His mouth was open in disbelief. "Wow! That's so great! I had no idea!"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, please don't be mad."

David waved it off. "Oh, no, I'm not mad. I kinda fibbed too, I paid off my condo a long time ago, I don't rent or pay mortgage. I didn't really know you yet and didn't want you to think I had a bunch of expendable income every month."

"Same," Tim gave a nervous smile. David was only a few feet away, and it was very, very quiet in the apartment. Their eyes kept connecting, then breaking. "Well, I- um… So the bathroom is just through here," he said, pointing to the bedroom, "and- I mean, well do you want to take the bed? To sleep. Tonight. It's more comfortable than the couch and you'd have some privacy."

David walked up to the doorway where Tim stood, and looked in the bedroom at the king-sized bed. It looked quite comfortable. He turned and looked up at Tim, their faces inches apart. _'Oh god, that was a mistake.'_ It was too late, he was already locked in by Tim's gaze. The air was completely still, charged with the electricity of the moment.

Tim noticed earlier that David was a couple of inches shorter than him, but at this moment he couldn't tell up from down, only the world getting smaller around them. His heart was racing. David's blue eyes threatened to swallow him whole. He could feel himself quivering. _This was it._

"Do we just…" David whispered, looking from Tim's eyes to his lips and back.

"Yeah," Tim breathed. He needed to do this or he'd be stuck in that doorway forever.

He closed the gap between their mouths, sliding one hand down to David's and interlacing their fingers, and using the other to cup the back of David's neck. He felt David take in a sharp breath, and bring his other hand around Tim's waist and up his back. The world stopped for an eternity, and centered itself on the gentle pressure of their lips against each other. The heartbeats that were pounding in their ears were now silent. Tim wasn't sure how much time had passed. He may have even missed an entire week of work and wouldn't have known. All he knew was the feeling of fingers, hands, and lips.

Their kiss was broken by a sudden and startling chortle that blurted out from David, who never unwound his fingers or took away his hand from Tim's back. Tim was worried for a moment, but could resist a nervous laugh.

"What is it?"

David flushed deep red, but was still smiling when he looked up at Tim. "It's just, um… I had kinda hoped to make it more than five minutes into your apartment before kissing you."

Tim sputtered out another small laugh and tipped his forehead against the other man's. "I had similar aspirations." He didn't want to let go just yet, though. "But if it makes you feel any better, it's uh… probably a little more than five minutes now."

David smiled coyly, and whispered "You're probably right," before leaning in for another kiss. It was hungry, but gentle, releasing all the tension they had been building since they first saw each other over video. They pulled each other closer, exploring, never daring to slip their fingers under any clothes, but allowing the tips of their tongues to meet and exchange pleasantries.

They stayed like that in the doorway until Jethro started barking and nudging them with his leash, wanting to go out.

NCIS

Tim whisked around the kitchen getting dinner ready while David had taken Jethro outside. He wasn't worried about David getting lost since Jethro could pretty much take himself out and back, he just needed human help for doors and gates.

He felt a lot better about David staying with him after they shared that kiss. It put them on the same page and relieved a lot of pressure. David had relented and agreed to take the bed, but insisted on baking breakfast in the morning for the trouble. Tim figured it would still be good to get the "sex" talk over with, but he had a feeling David was nervous about it too and would want to wait.

Tim heard the door open behind him, along with the tinkling sound of Jethro's tags and the huffing of an exhausted David. "Everything go ok?"

"Yeah," David sounded out of breath as he let Jethro off the leash. "I just think I hit my exercise quota for the month. The squirrels were _everywhere_ , and Jethro wanted them all."

"Welcome to my life. One reason why I love winter, they're all hibernating."

"Oh I hate winter. I love being outside, especially on a nice cool morning while the dew is still fresh. I don't exactly have a backyard, but it's a small, fenced-in space big enough for my hammock, a grill and a couple of chairs. I usually go out there in the summer when I don't have work in the morning and listen to music or read."

"Oh that reminds me," Tim said while finishing the salad, "I never asked what kind of music you like. Mostly I just listen to jazz. It helps clear my head when I have writer's block. Tony calls it my '70's porno collection.'"

"Mostly alternative, occasionally I'll throw in a good country ballad if it's not too twangy or if it's just funny. I rip all my CDs to MP3s and keep them on a player. I take my whole collection with me."

"I'd love to hear some, who do you listen to?"

"Goo Goo Dolls, Anberlin, early Whitney Houston, and a few others," David called while retrieving his MP3 player from his bag. "I'm super excited about Anberlin, they're releasing another album this year and I'm _dying_ to get my hands on it."

Making a mental note of that, Tim just finished searing their steaks and was adding baby bella mushrooms into the pan. David hooked his player into Tim's sound system, and started an upbeat song while adjusting the volume. At first, Tim had trouble following the lyrics because the voice and music was faster than he was used to, but eventually he started to keep up and smiled at the chorus.

 _If this isn't love,_

 _This is the closest I've ever been._

 _Do you think we have a chance?_

 _Tonight at streetlights, sing on Audrey's song._

Tim chuckled to himself, and thought, _'Did he pick this song on purpose?'_

"Mmm, steak!" David said, hungrily sniffing the kitchen air. "I can't cook, but I can bake and I can somewhat grill."

"I started cooking it more after Gibbs made it for me once. He cooks steaks on a grate in his fireplace. He's like a modern-day cowboy, practically living on coffee, whiskey, and beef."

"Oh?" David raised his eyebrow and gave Tim a teasing smile. "Has someone had a romantic, fireside dinner with _the boss?_ "

Tim burst out laughing so hard he nearly knocked the skillet off the stove. "HELL no. No no no. The guy's like my father. He's kinda like that for the whole team, especially Abby."

"How so?"

"Well he's always supporting us, but he likes to do this head-smack thing whenever any of us says or does something stupid. He always appears out of nowhere, especially when we're talking about him. He's got a pretty intense stare, too. I once saw him get a confession without saying a word."

"Wow, he sounds pretty intense."

"That's putting it lightly. Although," Tim had to try and suppress a laugh while telling this story, "this one time we had a case involving one of his ex-wives, and-"

"Wait, _'one of?'_ " David was starting to laugh too.

"' _One of,'_ but it gets better. The other lead on the investigation was his current girlfriend, who is an Army Lieutenant Commander. And the Director _still_ kept him on the investigation. I've never seen Gibbs squirm so hard, but it was just so relieving to have the tables turned for once. Can you hand me the plates?" He pointed to the plates behind him.

David brought them over, and while Tim served the food, he pondered the story. "I think I would just die if that happened. I don't think I could ever date a coworker, they'd get too jealous about how I talk to my cakes. If I talk sweetly to them, they don't dry out while I decorate them."

"It's not so bad," Tim said as they sat together and started to eat. "Abby and I dated, it didn't work out, but we still work well together."

"I do want to meet Abby. She sounds like she's quite something."

"Yeah." Tim was distracted by their arms brushing against each other. Tim was left-handed but David was right-handed, so their other arms just sat there against each other as they ate. They both looked down, then at each other and smiled.

"I guess we should... talk about tonight, huh?" David quietly asked.

"Yeah." Tim's thoughts were back at that kiss. "Do you-"

"Don't worry about it," David said, his fingers wrapping around Tim's. "I promise to be a gentleman. Besides, it probably is a good idea that we take things slow. That's how it's done, right?"

"Yeah," Tim smiled and squeezed David's hand. "Do you have everything you need? Like shampoo and toothpaste?"

"Yup. I also brought _Golden Girls_ Season Four, so I'll have something to help me get to sleep."

"I've heard you talk about that but never seen it. Why do you watch that to sleep?"

"Well it's really funny, and I don't just watch it for sleep, it just helps. I need some kind of distraction while trying to go to sleep, otherwise my brain just spins and spins. The show is mostly audible comedy, so I don't really have to pay attention or watch it, I can just listen."

"You want to show me a couple before going in?"

"Sure!"

David took their empty plates and insisted upon doing the dishes before Tim could disagree. Tim then went into the bedroom to change into some sweatpants. Looking at his phone, he saw two missed calls from Ziva and a voicemail.

" _McGee, pick up your phone. Rule number three, 'Never be unreachable,' remember?"_

Tim swore as he dialed her number.

" _There you are,"_ she said angrily. _"Where have you been?"_

"On Mars, Ziva," he said sarcastically. "I've been with David, it's my day off!"

" _Well look, you need to come in tomorrow. I've been assigned an undercover op and we need you for monitoring."_

Tim groaned. He was really looking forward to having another full day with David tomorrow.

" _I know you don't like it, but it has to be done."_

Sighing, he said, "Ok, I'll see you in the morning," and ended the call. _'Dammit.'_

After changing, he walked out in the living room and saw David turning off the music.

Seeing Tim's dreary expression, David frowned and said. "What's wrong?"

"Work. They need me in tomorrow."

David's eyes dropped. "Oh."

"I'm really sorry. I don't have to head in until the morning, so we can still have breakfast. It's probably going to take a while though. I'm really sorry to make you come all this way…"

"No no, don't be." David put on a smile, but his disappointment showed through. "It was worth it. Besides, we still have tonight, right?" He pulled Tim in for a hug.

Tim's heart was crushed, but David could've taken it a lot worse. It wasn't the first time Tim's job had gotten in the way of his life, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

David released Tim and went into the bedroom to change. Tim moved his desk chair so they could see the screen from the couch, set up the DVD player and sound system, and pulled out a blanket he used for guests on the couch. David came back dressed in a t-shirt and fleece pajama pants, carrying with him the DVDs. They sat together in the middle of the sofa with Tim's arm up on the back of the couch behind David's head.

Tim wasn't sure when David drifted off, when his head slid down onto Tim's chest, when Tim turned off the show, or even when the blanket got pulled up over them both. But when he stirred in the middle of the night, he found himself holding David from behind as they lay down, snuggled tightly into the couch. He breathed in the man's scent, and gently scooted himself up to look down at the sleeping man's innocent face. He decided there and then that he would never him go, and nestled back down to sleep.

NCIS

Tim later woke to the feeling of warm breath on his skin and a wet tongue eagerly lapping at this arm. He was face down on the sofa with the blanket neatly tucked around him. His left arm had come loose and was draping down from the sofa where Jethro was licking it. As the rest of his senses began to come back, he smelled sugar, butter, cinnamon, eggs, and bacon wafting through the air. Memories of that night's sleep came back to him, and he remembered that he had not slept alone. He groaned and stretched as he sat up, leaning over to look into the kitchen, looking for David.

David had his back to the living room while he was fussing over the stove. His hair was still damp from the shower, and he had changed into just a white t-shirt and black Jockeys. He danced quietly around the kitchen, trying to enjoy the music without waking Tim. As he bent down to check on the oven, his shirt lifted and Tim saw two thick black tattooed lines running down either side of his spine, going all the way to the base. As David stood up, Tim saw the tops of the lines just above his collar. Tim was reminded of the several tattoos Abby had on herself, but hers were all gothic-themed. He'd have to remember to ask him about them.

David turned around to reveal a tray of fresh cinnamon buns. After setting them down, he looked up and was startled to see Tim standing there. "Hey! Morning!" he said, pulling out his headphones and greeting Tim with a wide grin.

"Hey, wow. You did all this just this morning?"

"Yeah, I hope you don't mind I had to kinda raid your cabinets to find everything. I tried to leave everything where I found it, though." David divided the food between their two plates, and they sat down together.

"No, if anything I'm impressed. You did all this without waking me?" Tim took the other man's hand in his as they ate.

"You were pretty out of it. After I woke up, it took me a few minutes to figure out how to get up without disturbing you. It wasn't quite how we planned spending the night, was it?"

"Not complaining, are you?" Tim said, leaning in close.

"Not at all," David whispered, brushing his face against Tim's as their lips met. They tipped their foreheads together, each savoring the moment, not knowing when it would come again.

"Good," Tim said, turning back to his plate. "Me either."

They ate in silence for a few minutes. They only let go of the other's hand when they needed to cut a piece of a cinnamon bun, but then promptly returned it to being held.

Tim finished, and leaned his head onto David's shoulder. Looking down at the arm, he noticed the celtic tattoo on his bicep and remembered he had meant to ask about all of them.

"I never got to really see this," he said, sliding his fingers up David's left arm and lifting the sleeve.

"That one was from my last relationship. One of the good things I took away from it."

"He was Irish?"

"A distant descendant, but he still wore it proudly."

Tim decided not to press for further details on the ex, for now. "What about the others?"

David stood up and took off his shirt. Tim scanned his skin, and brushed his fingers over the inked sections. The two vertical lines on David's back were actually intricate tire tracks, perfectly parallel, running about an inch aside from his spine on either side. His right shoulder held what looked like some kind of tribal bird, with wings reaching down like elongated blades. Tim also finally saw David's pendant, a stainless steel dog tag that had _"Buns Not Guns"_ engraved on one side and a bread loaf engraved on the other.

Tim smiled and laughed after reading the pendant, then resumed examining the tattoos. "Do these have any special meaning to you?"

David took a moment before starting to describe them. "The tire tracks were from when I did some work in a garage during school. Drag racing was almost cultural to the mechanics."

"Wow, I don't think you ever told me about that." Tim was somewhat suspicious. His gut was telling him that David was holding something back, but it didn't seem overly critical.

David put his shirt back on, then continued, "Yup. I don't remember everything I learned, but I do save a little bit on maintenance. The phoenix tattoo on my arm is symbolic in itself, rebirth after death, dusting yourself off after a loss, that kind of thing."

Tim's gut still said there was more to the story, but he wasn't going to press right now.

"I wish we had more time for a jog, but I really should be heading to work."

"Yeah," David's face could not hide his sadness. He slowly moved to Tim, and with a soft kiss took him into his arms. After a quick squeeze, he left to go get changed in the bedroom.

Seizing his chance, Tim saw David's wallet on the counter and pulled out his driver's license. He snapped a picture of it with his phone, then quickly replaced the license and wallet exactly as he had found them. He quickly searched online for the band David had mentioned the previous night, looking for the record label so he could ask his agent to procure and advanced copy and secretly send it to David's home. He was tempted to use the license number to run a background check on David, but he decided to wait and see if the feeling in his gut resolved itself. His gut was accurate with cases, but historically wasn't as on-point with relationships.

David slowly walked back from the bedroom with his duffel bag, looking around as if to remember every detail of the apartment. He walked over to Tim, and they shared a slow, tender embrace. He nuzzled his face into the base of Tim's neck, trying to hide his emotions.

"I wish you didn't have to go back," Tim whispered into his ear.

"Me too." David's breathing was shallow.

"Will you text me when you get back?"

"Yeah."

"Ok. We'll see each other again soon, don't worry."

David pulled back, wiped a treacherous tear away, and then gave Tim a shaky smile. "Good. Oh, and um… make sure the team gets the rest of the cinnamon buns. I made enough for everyone. It sounds like the assignment wasn't going to be easy, so I figured they could use them."

"Thanks, I'm sure they'll appreciate that." Tim was trying to get the words out, but the look in David's eyes was heartbreaking. Even though he may not have been telling Tim everything about his past, his feelings about Tim seemed to be genuine. Tim remembered the feeling of holding him in his arms as he slept. The memory caused a lump to appear in Tim's throat, and he realized the scope of his feelings. He was falling hard and fast.

"Well, I should be off."

"David, I-" Tim struggled to find the words. "It's not- I- I don't want this to be 'goodbye.' I don't want this to just be a once-in-a-while thing. I… I know this whole thing didn't really go as we planned it but I want to keep going, to keep trying."

David smiled. "Tim, since five seconds after I met you, I knew that I'd make the drive from West Grove to DC any time you asked, even twice a day if I had to. I'm in this for the long haul, if you are."

"I'm in. It's just you and me."

"Good. Then, I'll be seeing you?"

"As often as possible."

David gave Tim one last hug and kiss, before saying, "Good," and leaving to go home. He made sure not to say 'goodbye.'

Tim took in the moment alone, before heading into the bedroom to change. While buttoning down his shirt, he saw David's pendant resting neatly on one of the pillows. Tim picked it up and held it tight before slipping it on underneath his shirt and leaving for work with the tray of cinnamon buns.

* * *

 **A/N - Credit for lyrics: Anberlin - "Audrey, Start the Revolution"**

 **Part 2 of "Scruffy" series available now - "Drive"**

 **Please review as it's published, I want to make it as good as I can.**


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